


The Gelfling Gathering

by WolfenM



Category: The Dark Crystal (1982)
Genre: Contest Entry, Dark Crystal Prequel, Ensemble Cast, Gen, Quest
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-14
Updated: 2017-03-14
Packaged: 2018-10-04 21:35:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10290569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfenM/pseuds/WolfenM
Summary: When Gelflings go missing, representatives of the seven Gelfling clans must convene to decide what to do -- but first, the word needs to get out that there's even a problem! Easier said than done when the clans don't really get along ....





	1. Prologue - Rian

**Author's Note:**

> Done for the official Dark Crystal writing contest a few years back. UNFINISHED AND LIKELY TO STAY THAT WAY. Just posting because some people wanted to see it. :P I'll post my notes on the conception at the end of what I have done.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: The Dark Crystal / The Crystal of Truth, Rian, Gurjin, Jul, Aughra, Thra, the Skeksis, skekTek, skekAyuk, skekOk, skekNa, skekUng, skekZok, the urSkeks, urAmaj, urZah, urUtt, urIm, Gelflings, Podlings, the Gottans, the Dousans, the Spritons, the Sifas, the Drenchen, landstriders, Garthim, dreamfasting, the Caves of Obscurity, Claw Mountain, Crystalport, the Crystal Sea, the Teeth of Skreesh, firca ©The Jim Henson Company. All other gelflings my creation.

It was Rian's own fault.

He'd been hurrying to get to his post after lunch, and ran right into crate of crawlies that a pair of Gelfling were carrying to the kitchen. The crate fell to the ground and broke under him, and the creatures went scurrying away. Understandably, he'd been ordered by skekAyuk, the Gourmand, to round them up. He'd caught almost all of them, only one still eluding him. He chased it now down the hall, but it squeezed under the door at the end. Rian hesitated, had over the doorknob–it was forbidden to enter skekTek's lab unless the Skeksis bade one enter.  Could the order to catch the crawly be considered permission? Would Rian be in trouble if he just left the critter in the lab? He looked behind him. No one was there, and skekTek would be at dinner, with the rest of the Skeksis. Maybe Rian could catch the thing without anyone finding out....

Steeling himself, he opened the door and stepped inside the room. It was packed with things he couldn't even begin to understand, contraptions and potions both. He fought against his natural curiosity–he needed to find that crawly before someone, namely skekTek, found _him_!

Tried as he might to stay on task, though, as he walked past a table with many vials, one in particular stood out to him. Glowing blue, it distracted him from his work, almost seeming to call out to him. Yet even as he found himself reaching for it, he grew more and more frightened as he approached it. Touching the vial, he immediately jumped back, as if stung, jostling the table behind him. He felt ill, like he'd swallowed poison. When he looked away, the feeling abated; looking back, the feeling returned. His skin felt like something was crawling just under the surface.

He caught motion in the corner of his eye–the crawly–and gladly looked away from the vial and its unnerving contents. This time, he proved quicker than the little critter, catching it and keeping it in a firm grip. Peeking out the door, he saw no one in the hall, and quickly slipped back out of the lab. Down the hallway, he turned a corner–and nearly walked right into skekTek!

"What are you doing down this way, Gelfling?" the Skeksis hissed.

"Uh ...I-I was sent to catch this crawly, sir," Rian replied, holding the creature up.

SkekTek studied him with narrowed eyes. Suddenly, the Skeksis snatched the crawly from Rian's hand, gobbling the critter down. "Thanks. I was still a bit peckish. If skekAyuk gives you trouble over the loss of that one, tell him that if he'd fed us well enough in the banquet hall, I wouldn't need to fend for myself in the hallways!" he cackled before heading for his lab.

Rian felt a twinge of pity for the little crawly–as well as a bit of disgust towards the Skeksis, which he quickly squelched. He loved his masters, but he never could understand how they could eat something while it still _lived_....

~ * @ * ~

"What's with the long face?" Gurjin, Rian's best friend, asked him as Rian came into the Gelfling common-area.

"Why are you asking that _now_ , Gurjin? It's _always_ long," Jul broke in, pausing a moment in the sharpening of her blade. Rian often wondered if she just picked on him because she was a Spriton and their clans didn't get along, or if she had something against him personally.

"I saw something today, and I've had this weird feeling ever since," Rian replied, ignoring Jul as he sat at the table she was sharing with Gurjin.

"Saw what?" Sor, Rian's father and the only other Gelfling in the room, asked from his seat near the fire, where he was crafting a firca.

Rian hesitated, knowing his father would be angry with him, but couldn't see any way to avoid the question, and wasn't about to lie.

"I was sent to catch a loose crawly, and it went into Master skekTek's lab, so I...well, I had to get it, right? So I went in–"

"You WHAT??" came three different voices, one as angry as expected, one shocked, and one, to Rian's surprise, admiring.

"You're made of braver stuff than I ever gave you credit for," Jul remarked, looking amused–and impressed.

"It's not bravery, it's foolishness!" Sor snapped.

"Master skekAyuk told me he was going to count every single one of the crawlies and make sure they were all accounted for! And he _did_!" No need to mention how Rian had ended up one short anyway–or how skekAyuk had made him peel 3 bushels of roots as punishment, not caring that it was only missing because skekTek had eaten it. "What was I supposed to do?" Rian argued.

"Catch one in the sewers?" Gurjin offered unhelpfully.

"Oh, so you _are_ smart after all!" Jul teased the Drenchen.

Glaring at the Spriton as he was, Gurjin probably didn't see Rian glaring at _him_.

"So what was this thing you saw that has you so upset?" Jul asked, ignoring Gurjin.

"...Forget it. It sounds silly." She would only laugh at it, so why tell her?

"You're a lot of things, Woodland, but silly isn't one of them." Jul seemed oddly serious now.

"Fine, but remember, _you asked_. I saw this...well, this vial of glowing blue liquid, and it felt... _wrong_. Just _looking_ at it made me feel ill. Then I reached out to it, and when I touched the glass, it... _hurt_."

"It was probably just some sort of medicine or something," Sor scoffed. "Medicine is never pleasant, but it makes us better anyway, so don't worry about it. And don't go back there! You might ruin something!" And with that, the elder Gelfling went back to his crafting.

Rian joined Gurjin and Jul in a game of toggle-pips. An hour later, after Sor had finally gone to bed, Jul held out her hand to Rian.

"Show me what you saw," she whispered, as if there were others around that might hear.

"And me!" Gurjin chimed in a little more loudly, holding his hand out as well.

Rian did, dreamfasting with them both. He'd done so plenty of times with Gurjin, but he'd never done so with Jul. Part of him was reluctant to share with her, not really trusting her–and yet another part of him was pleased she'd asked.

He was all the _more_ pleased when he realised, through their bond, that she actually _liked_ him, and that all her teasing was just the Spriton version of affection.

Jul looked worried when the dreamfasting was done, though. "I don't think that was you overreacting–I think you're very magic-sensitive, and your sense was telling you that there was something wrong with whatever was in that vial."

"Maybe it was a poison, and Master skekTek was searching for a cure?" Gurjin suggested.

"Hey, yeah!" Rian replied, nodding in relief.

"That does make sense..." Jul agreed–but she didn't sound convinced.

~ * @ * ~

Rian had soon forgotten about what he'd seen–until a few weeks later, when the Skeksis held a feast. They did so once a moon, as a reward for the loyal service of the Gelfling who lived among them, but this time was a little more special than usual, as Aughra was visiting. Aughra was seated at the Skeksis table, next to the emperor. All Gelfling were fascinated with her, and Rian was no exception.

He'd started looking her way, when he spotted the emperor, skekSo, having a hushed conversation with skekTek. The scientist, looking worried, left the room, wringing his hands. Rian happened to be looking in that direction again when skekTek returned–with the strange blue vial in one claw.

"Isn't that...?" Gurjin whispered.

Rian nodded, not taking his eyes off the liquid, even though it still made him ill to look upon it. SkekTek handed it over to the emperor, who then downed it. Rian almost jumped out of his seat in alarm–had skekTek just poisoned the emperor?! Jul grabbed his arm, staying him, as if sensing what he had been about to do. He looked at Jul for a moment, and found her shaking her head slightly, lips tight. Eyes back on the emperor, Rian eased back down into his seat, heart racing.

"What was that you just drank? You don't share your new wine with your guests, skekSo?" Aughra asked the emperor.

"Oh, no, my dear, that was medicine, not wine!" the emperor assured her. "I've been feeling poorly of late.

So the emperor had taken it before? But why would he consume something so ... _vile_?

"Sorry to hear you're feeling poorly,"Aughra replied. "Aughra will fix you up–bring you her own special brew next time!"

"You'd have my thanks, friend." The emperor patted her hand.

Aughra's lone eye then met Rian's; like with the vial, he couldn't look away, but at least with her, she didn't leave him feeling ill. "Aughra will spend time with Gelfling, now," she told the emperor, and rose.

Despite her having met his eye, Rian was still shocked when she came to sit right across from him.

"So, Gelfling. You happy here?" she asked.

"Uh ...yes?" Rian replied, Jul and Gurjin nodding.

"Gelfling say yes like don't know."

"Well, I ...I hadn't really thought about it."

"No, don't much look like a thinker," she agreed, nodding. "Look like a <I>do</i>-er. Could use a Gelfling like that. Not all this sitting around, thinking, like Skeksis. Like Aughra. Aughra needs to stretch legs. Come with?" she asked, rising to her feet. She then lowered her voice. "Bet Aughra knows places in castle Gelfling never see."

Heart pounding, Rian followed, sharing an uneasy glance with his companions before he left them, and hoping (although not sure why) that the Skeksis didn't notice his absence.

True to her word, Augrha led him to a stairwell that he knew he wasn't supposed to climb.

"I-I'm sorry, my lady, but I'm not allowed to go up there."

"Aughra is allowed, and you are with Aughra. Besides, what Skeksis don't know won't hurt them, and who will tell them? You?" she added, winking her working eye.

He shook his head violently. She continued on her way; he followed, fear dragging his feet even as curiosity pulled him upwards. On the next floor, she led him through a few twisting corridors and past several massive doors, then up more stairs, through more corridors, and up still more stairs. He didn't think he'd be able to find his way back down alone.

Finally, they entered a large chamber, one even more massive than the Banquet Hall. There were markings all over the floor, balconies set high above, and in the center of the room was a massive, circular opening, above which floated a giant, glowing crystal. Like the vial, the crystal made Rian ill to gaze upon it, so he looked at Aughra instead.

"Is that--"

"The Crystal of Truth?" Aughra finished for him. "Yes–or it was. Gone dark now, ever since Skeksis broke it."

" _Broke--?_ " Rian stumbled back in horror. The heart of Thra, their world, _broken_? " _Why_?"

"Don't know. Accident, maybe. What matters is it _is_ broken, and Aughra doesn't know how to fix it."

"Well ...what's going to happen now? Will our world die?"

"Don't know that, either. Maybe Gelfling can discover what Aughra could not." And with that, she turned to leave. "Better get back now."

He dutifully followed, head spinning. How could their masters have done such a thing? And what was he–what was _any_ one–to do about it?

He nearly tripped over a Podling. He hurriedly apologised to it, but the little being didn't seem to even notice he'd bumped into it, much less his apology, slowly continuing on its way with their typical blank expression.

"Such strange creatures–so <I>lifeless</i>," he remarked as he caught back up to Aughra, who hadn't stopped.

She stopped now, though, squinting at him. "Are they? Podlings who live by Aughra are happy, lively folk. Always singing, always having feasts. Ever been to a Podling village?"

"Er...no. I've only ever seen them here." Here, where they never spoke. Much less sang or celebrated. "But why are they so different here from the ones you know?"

"Maybe this is another thing Gelfling should look into," Aughra shrugged.

~ * @ * ~

And Rian did look into it, as best he could without actually asking the Skeksis outright. Where once he saw generosity and wisdom in his masters, everything now looked as tainted to him as the Crystal had become. He had a feeling that, if he mentioned what had happened to the Crystal, his father would just yell at him for going where he wasn't supposed to, and not even give him a chance to show him through dreamfasting. He only told Gurjin and Jul about his conversation with Aughra, not ready to broach the subject with anyone eels until he had something more substantial to tell.

Weeks went by without learning anything, though. Rian made an effort to get to know the Skeksis, earn their favour, hoping that the Skeksis would let something slip in his presence, but no one did. He witnessed nothing incriminating. Rian tried to talk to the Podlings when he encountered them alone, but they just stared blankly and moved around him, not saying a word. Gurjin and Jul reported similar encounters. Rian wanted to find the Crystal again and study it longer, but was leery of getting lost–or worse, getting caught!

"You know, you really should stop turning your nose down at the sewers," he overheard Gurjin saying to Jul one day. "They're just as valid a pathway for getting around as those bone-dry corridors you're so fond of. You wouldn't have been late to your post today if you'd taken the route that I would have!"

"Do the Skeksis ever take them?" Rian asked.

"Not that I've ever seen," Gurjin replied.

"And why _would_ they?" Jul asked, making a face. "Why would _any_ one who isn't a swamp-born Drenchen?"

"To get places unseen," Rian whispered to himself.

His companions looked alarmed.

"You know what? Jul's right, it's a terrible idea. Forget I said anything," Gurjin laughed nervously.

"Yes, it's best to forget _any_ thing Gurjin says," Jul agreed with awry smile.

"Hey!"

Rian left them bickering as he made his way to his post. Along the way, he came across skekOk, the scrollkeeper, carrying an armful of books and scrolls. One fell off the stack; Rian picked it up, but held onto it.

"Can I help you carry some of that, Master?"

"No, no, I've--" and a book fell this time. The Skeksis sighed. "Yes, I suppose I could use some help, thank you. Rian, was it?"

Nodding, Rian took half the stack and followed the scrollkeeper to the library. There, as he set his burden down, he noticed that one of the bookcases seemed to be coming away from the wall. SkekOk apparently noticed as well, pushing the case back into place with surprising ease.

"Must have someone fix that," the scrollkeeper muttered.

Rian felt a breeze stir; papers near him fluttered, and a candle flame sputtered. Looking in the direction the breeze originated from, he noticed a vent in a wall, above the case.

"You can go, now, Gelfling," skekOk  ordered, looking suspicious.

Rian bowed and left.

~ * @ * ~

Gelfling were allowed in the library when it was unlocked, yet Rian still felt uneasy being in there. He gently pulled at the case that had been loose–and discovered that it was actually a door! Taking a candle in, he found another, smaller library beyond it. He went in and closed the door; he'd be able to hear through the vent if someone else came in.

He quickly became absorbed in the personal accounts of various Skeksis about their years in the castle, including the day the Crystal was broken. He learned that the beings his people called Mystics, who lived in a valley not far, were not the evil beings the Skeksis had led them to believe, that the Skeksis had been lying all this time.

And, to his horror, Rian also found a book talking about something called essence–a substance drained somehow from living beings to give strength to other beings. The blue vial–it contained this substance, he was sure of it! According to the book, skekTek had started with small beings, like crawlies, then eventually moved on to Podlings–Rian understood in that moment that _this_ was why the Podlings seemed so lifeless. He read further–and learned that the Gelfling were next in line for the experiments, skekTek believing that their essence would be best of all!

The book ended there. Rian didn't want to try carrying the sizable tome through the tunnels and risk discovery. Even if he just tore out key pages, the Skeksis might notice and come hunting for whoever had done it. If the Gelfling were going to rebel, he wanted his people to have the advantage of surprise–he couldn't let the Skeksis know he was onto them yet.

He wished he could talk to his father, but Sor was away, visiting their home village. He decided not to tell Gurjin and Jul just yet either; while he trusted his friends with his life, he figured the fewer people who knew, the easier time it would be to keep the secret from the Skeksis until they were ready. He was worried enough about giving something away accidentally himself as it was.

~ * @ * ~

Rian also didn't tell his friends about his new clandestine activity: exploring the sewers and air ducts. In his journal, he started making maps–not by drawings, but by poems with directions encoded in them. He hoped to find wherever it was that skekTek was running his essence experiments–and he found it! From one of the overhead vents, he found himself looking down upon the most horrific sight of his life.

The room was full of caged animals, the stench of refuse making his eyes burn. One wall was missing, leaving the room open to a shaft of some sort. In it was a giant mirror reflecting the sickening violet light of the Crystal–a sight Rian quickly averted his eyes from. These details barely registered, though, over the profile view of a terrified Gelfling strapped into a chair, struggling and pleading for release.

It was Gurjin.

Panicked and desperate to save his friend, Rian clawed at the metal grate before him, but it was solidly in place. A few more seconds, and it didn't matter anymore–Gurjin ceased his struggles, his eyes as blank as the castle's Podlings.

Rian bit his hand, hard, to keep from screaming in anguish. There was nothing he could do for Gurjin now–not unless he could force skekTek to reverse the process somehow (if it could even be done). To even attempt such a thing, he would need reinforcements.

It was time.

~ * @ * ~

When he got to the common-area, Rian was elated to find that his father had returned–but the elation didn't last long.

"You've gone mad!" Sor accused after Rian had finished. A crowd had built up around them, and Rian could hear many muttering their agreement.

"What? No, father, I swear it's all true! I'll _show_ you!" Rian insisted, holding out his hand.

Sor hesitated, but his grip was firm.

Nothing happened.

Rian stared at their gripped fingers in disbelief. What was wrong?

Sor yanked his hand away. "See? You can't show a lie when dreamfasting, so you can't show anything at all now!" he proclaimed, as much to the room as to Rian.

"No! No, please! Look, I don't know why I can't show this to you, but Gurjin needs our help!"

"You know what I think? I think you and Gurjin were goofing off somewhere you weren't supposed to be, and something's happened to him, so you've made up this wild story to keep yourself from being punished!"

Rian was stunned speechless. How could Sor believe Rian capable of such a thing? Had his father gone mad?

Or had Rian?

Rian squared his shoulders. "Believe me or don't–just come _with_ me, and you'll see for yourself!"

"No. We'll not go anywhere our masters have forbidden. And you will not go anywhere at _all_!"

Sor reached for Rian's arm, but the younger Gelfling evaded his father's grasp. Others reached for him–he escaped them, too, slipping out the door. At the first opportunity, he ducked into one of the sewer grates, taking out a glow-crystal and making his way down into the depths of the castle.

When he couldn't run anymore, he collapsed, heedless of the dampness of the ground, making it all the more so with his tears. Gurjin was likely dead, or as good as, and now Rian's father seemed to think Rian a criminal! What would his fellow Gelfling do to Rian if they caught him?

What would the Skeksis do to _them_?

Eventually, Rian's terror gave way to exhaustion, sparing him from nightmares as he slept.

~ * @ * ~

"Though you were never going to wake up," an unfamiliar voice remarked as Rian started to stir.

Rian bolted upright, instinctually scooting away from the sound.

"Calm down! I'm not here to hurt you!"

Rian paused. He could just barely make out the shape of a Gelfling by the light of his fallen glow-crystal–female, by her soft, quiet voice.

"Don't get much company down here–just a few others of my clan."

"Your clan?"

"Grottan. I'm Gemmy."

He'd never actually seen a Grottan before–few had, as their kind tended to stay in dark places.

"Uh, I'm Rian, of the Woodland clan."

"Thought so. They're all a-tizzy, looking for you Up There." She pointed upwards.

Rian's stomach sank–would this Gemmy turn him in? "H-how do you know?"

"Met Jul a long while back, when she got lost down here once. Taught her how to contact me by tapping on the crystals–we arrange meetings now and then. She told me how you don't trust the Skeksis. She was on duty when you ran off last night, so she didn't find out what happened until the search party came her way and told her what your father said. She contacted me as soon as they passed her, and asked me to get you out of the castle."

"But I can't leave!" Rian protested. "Everyone's in danger–I can't abandon them!"

She said nothing for a long moment. Then, "You're a far better son than Sor deserves. But think of this, Woodland: there are far more Gelfling outside the castle than in. So go. Bring back reinforcements."

"How? No one will believe me if I can't dreamfast anymore!"

"Hmm. That is a problem. Well, I guess I could just leave with you–I at least have seen what you were able to show Jul so far."

Rian clapped his hands. "That's it! I'll show _you_ what I saw tonight, and then you can show others!"

Gemmy agreed, but things didn't prove to be that simple. It took a while to get back to someplace Rian knew and could find the secret lab again from. By the time they found the lab again, Gurjin was gone.

~ * @ * ~

Rian waited in the vent for a few days, Gemmy returning with food each day when she was off-duty from her patrol, but still nothing more had happened. Gemmy also hadn't been able to talk much to Jul, only doing so through their system of crystal-tapping–by which Jul revealed that she was being watched, Sor expecting Rian to attempt to contact her. Jul also revealed that no one had seen Gurjin, and so some–including Sor–had come to believe that Rian had killed him, accidentally or otherwise.

"I can still come here and keep an eye out," Gemma pointed out four days later. "Go find my clan first, and give them this letter–ask for my sister Hild, and give them this, to prove the letter is from me," she added, pulling a necklace she was wearing free and handing it to him along with a small envelope. "Hild made it and gave it to me before I left."

"Gemmy, I can't take this!"

"You must! Without dreamfasting, you need something that will get them to listen! That necklace will prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the letter is from me; in it, I tell them to trust you. Besides, I'll get it back from Hild when I see her again. Now, pay attention–you'll need to do this in order to call them to you...." And she taught him the tapping language that she had taught Jul.

She also taught him where to find the entrance to the Caves of Obscurity, home of the Grottan, under Claw Mountain. "I wouldn't recommend trying to get there on your own, though. Best go to Cystalport and hire a skiff to cross the Crystal Sea."

Rian nodded halfheartedly. "I'll go to my village first, then–see if I can convince people there to help." He didn't have high hopes, after what had gone down with Sor, but he had to try, didn't he? "Are you sure you won't come with me?"

Gemmy shook her head. "I'd be practically blind outside during the day." She pointed to her all-black eyes, which he'd learned could see in near-darkness. "Besides, if I keep looking, maybe I'll find something that will incriminate the Skeksis!"

Truth be told, though it could vindicate him, Rian wasn't sure if he really wanted her to find such a thing.

Gemmy led him down to the Teeth of Skreesh, where the sewers let out near the base of the castle. She'd given him a pack of supplies, as well as a pouch of trade-crystals Jul had filched from Rian's own room. (The pouch was heavier than Rian remembered–he suspected the women had added a few crystals of their own.) Now, Gemmy handed him a rope, which he tied around his waist, and lowered him to the ground far below.

When he reached the bottom, he half wished he could go back up, feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of the task before him. But as a little annik wandered by, carrying a crystal twice its size (yet still immensely tiny to Rian) towards a large mound of similar crystals, it occurred to Rian that such a mound, housing a tiny city home for the annik colony beneath it, wouldn't exist if not for each individual annik doing its part, however inconsequential one small crystal might seem.

Checking that his journal, with all its notes, was tucked into its pouch at his belt, Rian gave the rope two hard pulls (the signal to Gemmy that he was down) and went on his way, wishing he's been able to say goodbye to Jul and Gurjin–and even his father.

He hoped he'd get to say hello to all three of them again someday.


	2. 1 - Dahran

"Don't get too far out, lass!"

"I won't, Papa!"

Dahran half-smiled, fondness warring with worry as his fiery-haired daughter, Fellie, soared just above the waves, the youngster giggling and trying to tag the fin of a pokra swimming just below the surface of the water. She seemed to roam a little farther every day, and with each extra inch she gained, his fear grew that she might get into trouble somewhere out of his reach. He cursed whatever forces had granted wings to Gelfling females, but not to the males!

Sighing, he turned his attention back to the sails of the _Wavechaser_ , their home on the water. A storm was coming, and so the sails needed to be lowered or they might either be torn or capsize the boat. His attention split between his work and Fellie, he failed to notice a vessel approaching on the other side of the _Wavechaser_ until it was too late.

The heavy crack of impact, which make the boat shudder, certainly drew his attention! But when he looked that way, the strange ship–a large, grotesque barge easily five times the size of his own–was a good five hundred trors away, at least! So what had struck the _Wavechaser_?

A moment later, he had his answer. Something jerked upward on the other ship, slinging a large, round object through the air, hitting the mast of the _Wavechaser_ and breaking it in half.

"Papa! What happened to the mast? And what is _that_?" Fellie asked, flitting back, pointing to the other vessel. The wind was getting stronger with the coming storm, and she was struggling now to stay aloft.

Dahran didn't understand what exactly was happening, but could tell it wasn't good. Why was the other vessel trying to destroy his boat?? "Fellie, don't come back here! Fly to shore! To _shore!_ " he insisted, yelling to be heard over the ever-increasing wind .He waved frantically back towards the dock of the small, unpopulated island they'd visited just hours before, a Sifa sailor's rest-stop. They could barely see place from where they were; he prayed she could make it without tiring–or worse, getting caught by the storm!

"But Papa, you said to stay close!" she protested. Of all the times for the child to decide to listen!

She screamed, then, a blood-curdling sound made all the more terrible by the fact that it was coming from the lips of his precious child. It took him another moment to realise that she herself was actually fine; she was looking past him, afraid of whatever she saw there. Spinning around, he found a monstrous creature climbing up over the rail, a menacing look in its eye.

"Come quietly, Gelfling," the creature demanded, "and you will not be harmed."

The monster was lying–Dahran was sure of it. He looked about for something to strike the invader with.

"Disobey, and your daughter will pay the price," the monster added, holding up a strange contraption and pointing it towards the remains of the mast. It turned out to be a much smaller version of the device that had destroyed the mast in the first place; the smaller device splintered the mast further.

Dahran believed the creature about this, at least. He shuddered to think what such an evil thing would do to flesh and blood. "All right. I'll come peacefully," he agreed.

"The child, too. Tell her to fly over to my ship."

Dahran's heart clenched. "What do you want with us?" he demanded.

The monster laughed. "As if that matters right now! Your choice here is life or death, Gelfling–which will it be?"

Dahran found himself wondering now if living in this monster's clutches would be a fate _worse_ than dying. Then again, every moment of life was also a chance to escape–a chance denied the dead....

"Fellie, girl! You see that ship over there?"

"Yes, Papa."

"You fly on over, and I'll meet ya there."

"Yes, Papa," she repeated, and began flying.

The monster then directed Dahran to a dinghy that was floating beside the _Wavechaser_ ; in it were two Gelfling.

"What is this all about?" he asked the pair after jumping in.

They just stared at him with an oddly blank look, one that filled him with dread.

"Bind him, Murka," the monster ordered; wordlessly, one of the Gelfling obeyed.

"Why are you doing this? Why help this creature?" Dahran hissed as Murka bound his hands and feet, and the other Gelfling began to row towards the monster's vessel. "Has it threatened someone you love, like it did me?" Surely between the three of them they could overtake it, but then perhaps there were more of its kind on the ship, holding other Gelfling hostage....

"They have no choice, Gelfling. No choice–and no will. You see your future before you now!" The monster laughed.

And this was what Dahran had ordered Fellie into. He fought down the sudden and mostly unfamiliar emotion that was now overriding his fear, urging him to strike the creature. He didn't know what might happen to Fellie if he did that–he had to wait until he was close enough to grab hold of her before he tried anything.

Beneath him, the sea began to roll, as if responding to his anger, while the sky darkened and rain began to fall. He could easily feel the difference between the rain and the tears that now joined those drops on his face, the latter burning even as the former chilled him. The storm quickly grew in ferocity, tossing the enemy's ship now, too, making it all the more difficult for him, with his bound hands, to climb the rope ladder that was dropped down to them.

On the deck, he found his daughter similarly bound–with the addition of a rope tied around her ankle, to keep her from flying off. There were two handfuls of Gelfling milling about, none of them tethered in any way–and all of them blank-faced. One of them opened a grate in the deck, which doubtless led to the ship's hold.

"Get in, Gelfling," the monster ordered.

Nature had other plans.

The ship listed heavily to one side. The other Gelfling folk, as well as the monster, grabbed hold of ropes and rails. With his hands and feet tied, though, Dahran couldn't easily catch his balance, much less catch hold of anything that might keep him from tumbling overboard. He gasped as he hit the brutally cold water, involuntarily taking in a mouthful of the substance before sinking fully into it. Spitting it out, he struggled both to get his head above the water again and to keep from trying to breath before he managed to succeed in the first task.

When something boosted him out of the sea, he didn't question it. Blinded by the water as he was, when something slid through his fingers, he grabbed on tight without even knowing what he held. When something began pulling him out of the water, he didn't struggle against it, even if it might prove to be the enemy. His every spare thought was for Fellie. He had to live to save her. When he found himself on a solid surface again, he had a little more time for other thoughts–how cold he was, how sore, how frightened. How he was apparently back on his ship.

How strange-looking his rescuer was.

There was some similarity, he absently noted, between this new creature and the monster–the basic shape of their bodies, including the dual sets of arms and the beak-like faces. But it was as though the monster was a twisted, tainted version of this new being, whose eyes were kind and whose touch on Dahran's shoulder was gentle and calming.

"Fear not–you _will_ see your child again," the being assured him.

Dahran believed it.

"Though it will be quite some time before you do," the creature added.

Though he wished he didn't, Dahran found himself believing _that_ , too.


	3. 2 - Ziir

Ziir didn't know if the burn in her face was from exertion, anger, or humiliation. Mere moments before, she'd been on her way to take her honoured place amongst the guards of the Castle of the Crystal ...and now she was chasing a skwirra through the woods, like a desperately hungry chatta! The little thief had filched a pouch of nuts from her, but hunger wasn't what drove Ziir. She would have just let the creature have the nuts (it might be humiliating to be robbed by a skwirra, but at least only she and the skwirra would have known about it), but unfortunately, that same pouch also contained a letter from the Spriton clan matriarch. The letter proved that Ziir had indeed been chosen to represent her clan as a guard–without it, she might be turned away!

"Keep making me work up an appetite like this, and I'm gonna _eat_ you when I catch you, ya little--"

Ziir tripped just then, cursing as she scrambled to her feet.  She'd lost sight of the animal a while back, but at least she could still smell and hear it–for the moment. Ziir was fast, but no Gelfling could outrace a skwirra, and she didn't have much chance of tracking a creature that could run along the branches overhead. She could only hope to keep up just enough to follow it back to its home tree, and with every second, she fell further behind....

And then she passed it.

It took her a few panicked moments to realise that the reason the scent and sound of it were fading was because it was now behind her, not because she had fallen too far behind. She backtracked, her large ears pricked and large-for-a-Gelfling nose twitching. As she circled around the base of a tree, she heard the skwirra scolding her, and followed the sound upwards.

Way, _way_ upwards.

Cursing again, she began to climb, thankful that the tree had many sturdy branches.

The little monster proved more scold than bite, and retreated deep into its tree-hole home rather than attacking her, even when she reached into the hole.

The pouch she pulled out wasn't hers.

There was a hole in it, likely chewed buy the skwirra; poking through it was the edge of a small book, its pages slightly nibbled. Curiosity overcoming urgency, she freed the little volume and opened it. The scent of sirraberry wafted faintly from the pages–that was likely what had drawn the skwirra to drag it up into its tree. She supposed the paper itself had turned out to be less appetising.

> _I'm so nervous, I could barely eat this morning. I'll be the seventh generation in an unbroken line of guards if I win enough of the contests today, but what if I lose? I don't think I could bear the shame! Not to mention, what else would I do with my life? No one would hire a failed guard to guard anything, and I don't have any other skills, really...._

So this was a journal, then? And the owner had likewise hoped to be a guard! Intrigued, she flipped through the pages, stopping every dozen or so. She discovered that the writer had indeed achieved their dream, and told all about what life as a guard was like, including about some interesting discoveries of their own. Excited now, she intending to start reading in earnest as soon as she was back on the ground, hoping for some insight into her new life. She hurriedly fished around in the hole again until she found her own pouch.

It was then that the skwirra's bite proved to be terrible after all.

Jerking her hand free in pained surprise, momentum carried Ziir backwards, then downwards as she tumbled through the branches. She didn't even have a chance to cry out, much less unfurl her wings, before she felt a sudden flash of pain at the back of her skull–then nothing.


	4. 3 - Keft

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand that's all she wrote. ;) Now, the notes I jotted down before starting, using the official [official website](http://www.darkcrystal.com/) for reference. There's not enough room in the end notes for all of it, so I;m putting some of it up here! LOL
> 
> Historia  
> -Rian journal entry made 96 years after Second Great Conjunction  
> -Rian was a guard in the castle with his father - Woodland clans closest to Castle?  
> -opposite of urIm the Healer is skekUng the Garthim Master -- what was he before the Garthim?  
> -Jen & Kira born 200 years after Garthim war  
> -Garthim created after Wall. Belleg first saw the Garthim when he was a boy, and he was probably 50ish at the start of the Garthim Wars, 800 years after the conjunction, so Garthim created somewhen around 700-750 AGC, so Wall probably created just before then, about 700 years AGC.

_The suns were setting as little Keft, his brother Nikka, and their parents made their way back home after a long but pleasant day gathering herbs, flowers, berries, and fungi in the forest. Keft had learned so much–how to tell the difference between deadly mushrooms and helpful ones, how to tell if sirraberries were ripe (but not too ripe), what flowers were the best for what ailments, and which bark was best for easing pain. Soon, he would begin helping his parents with their patients, just like Nikka had started doing last year!_

_As they walked, Keft trailed more and more behind, distracted by practicing what he'd learned on various plants as they passed._

_That's why he was out of range of the warrogs when they came._

_The fierce, growling grunts of the creatures nearly drowned out his family's cries as the beasts surrounded them. Keft remembered his mother's warning, that Gelfling couldn't hope to outrun a warrog, but the predators couldn't climb trees. He quickly scurried up the closes one, high into the leafy branches, then watched his family helplessly._

_The warrogs didn't eat them. The worst they did was pin each family member to the forest floor with their hoof-paws.  Then, from further up the trail, came another warrog, a massive cage on its back. Beside it came a bent figure, its long robes rustling the leaves as it approached._

_A Skeksis._

_Keft had seen one once, when his parents had taken him and Nikka to the castle, to bring supplies to the healer there. He thought now that this Skeksis had come to help his family._

_He was wrong._

_The Skeksis pulled Nikka free of his imprisoning warrog–then thrust the boy into a compartment of the cage. When the Skeksis moved to do the same with Keft's mother, she struggled, kicking and clawing and trying to pull free._

_"What are you doing?" she demanded; Keft had to strain to hear her. "We've done no wrong–why are you trying to cage us?"_

_"Oh, my dear, don't think of it as a cage! You and your family are now precious cargo! You shall have the privilege of contributing to the longevity of the emperor!"_

_"Then why capture us?" Keft's father asked. "You could have just asked!"_

_"Yes, well, once you learn just what helping the Emperor entails, you might not be so keen on going, I'm afraid. That's why I'm taking you out here, away from any witnesses–so that none will suspect what has happened to you when you never return. Still, I will promise you this: come quietly, and your child will not be harmed. Cross me, and..." The Skeksis made a clicking sound with its beak._

_One of the warrogs approached the cage, growl-grunting._

_Keft's mother stopped struggling. She and Keft's father went quietly into the cage._

_Keft shifted his wait, trying to think of how he might help his family. The branch creaked under him–then snapped. He caught himself on a lower branch and scurried back up, but it was too late–the warrogs and the Skeksis had spotted him, the warrogs rushing at the tree._

_"There is no escape, little Gelfling," the Skeksis purred._

_Keft looked about, then began jumping from branch to branch, until he reached a tree towering just above a massive rock. He dropped down onto it–and the surface split in half, revealing a gaping maw, which Keft fell into._

_He held his breath against the horrid stench within the mouth, for as long as he could, beginning to see stars before he dared take another breath. He did this again and again, until long after the muffled growl-grunts of the warrogs faded._

_"Thank you, friend," he told his protector, stroking its tongue until it opened its mouth again, setting him free. When he climbed out, the warrog, the Skeksis, and his family were gone._

Keft gasped for air as he woke, as breathless as he had been when leaving the hrokka's mouth 14 trine ago. The memory of that day would never leave him, as crystal-clear in his memory as the day it happened–yet he was unable to share it.

There was a whine at his ear, and he reached up absently to scratch at his pet cannas, Riff. The animal huffed into Keft's hair, and he chuckled at her.

Riff's ears pricked up, her attention focused on the innermost wall of the room; Keft listened intently to the low, muffled voices beyond it. His aunt and uncle–the ones who had adopted him once he'd returned home to the town of Woodhaven–were talking about him again, it seemed.

"We can't keep ignoring the problem, Sael! I worry about him! How will he ever bond with a mate if he can’t dreamfast?"

"There are Gelflings who get by without sight or hearing–this is no different!" Keft's uncle insisted.

"Isn't it?" Keft could hear his aunt protest. "Look at that guard–Rian, was it?–who came through here years back, claiming that the Skeksis were killing Gelfling. That fellow couldn't dreamfast either! And what did people say to him? That that an inability to dreamfast isn't really an inability at all, but just a convenient way to avoid being proven wrong! They wouldn't say that about Keft before, because he was just a child, but he's an adult now! Yet he _still_ can't dreamfast, nor will he refute that story! What are people _supposed_ to think of him?"

There was a painful silence.

"And what do _you_ think, Mally?" Sael asked quietly.

 "...I think he was a scared little boy who had a bad dream after a traumatic event, and couldn't separate that dream from reality. I think he heard Rian's story, and it stuck with him. I think it was easier for him to believe that his family was taken rather than killed by warrogs, and he can't dreamfast because he can't face the truth."

Mally's words felt like a rock in Keft's stomach. He'd had an inkling that she didn't believe him, but she'd never said it aloud–at least not where he could hear. But then, she likely thought he was still over at Shalka's house now, looking after the weaver's sick daughter. His aunt and uncle had been asleep when, after the child's fever had broken, Keft had decided to come home. He hadn't felt comfortable staying at Shalka's place a moment longer, even despite the very late hour–most people didn't seem to want him around when he wasn't actively doing healer's work.

Had his aunt joined those ranks?

Riff whined, and he realised he was gripping her fur hard. "Sorry, girl," he whispered, relaxing his grip.

"And you think that there's no chance at all that he and Rian were telling the truth?" Sael asked Mally.

"Well, don't forget that letter we got from my nephew at the castle! He said that Rian's own father wouldn't corroborate Rian's story. They also never saw anyone fitting Keft's family's description there! Besides, if the Skeksis really were doing something to Gelfling, wouldn't it be easier to just use people already willingly living there?"

"Not when their families know they're there!" Sael pointed out. "Wouldn't you worry if your nephew never wrote you back, or came to visit? I'm sure the last thing they want is to be swarmed by angry relatives looking for their loved ones! "

Mally sighed. "Look, it doesn't matter if he really saw what he saw or not–the point is that no one fully trusts him, and we've no way to convince them otherwise. _That's_ the fact that we have to do with."

"...I suppose you're right, but I've no idea what to do about it."

Keft had an idea, though. _If I can't dreamfast to prove what happened, I'll just have to find some_ other _proof–at the castle!_

Shalka had given him some food in thanks for his services, and tired as he'd been when he'd arrived home, he'd just left it all in his satchel. This meant that he wouldn't need to venture into the kitchen now, wouldn't need to see his aunt and uncle and explain face-to-face why he was leaving. He thought maybe his aunt would prefer it this way–and feared his uncle might try to stop him. (He did leave a note, though–a vague one saying he needed some time to himself and not to worry.)

Rolling a change of clothes up in a blanket, he tied some rope around it, so he could wear it like a pack. Adding a waterskin to his satchel, which he slung over his shoulder, he then slipped out his window, Riff following after. He didn't try to stop her–she could take care of herself, might prove useful along the way, and frankly, he could use the company. His home wasn't far from the edge of the forest, meaning there was no one to see them go; stopping at the well to fill the waterskin, he and Riff were soon on their way.

~ * @ * ~

The walk was largely uneventful for the first couple of hours, in part because they stayed off the road and any well-worn trails. It was Keft's usual habit to do so, as it allowed him to find various healing plants, but now had the added bonus of letting them avoid meeting someone who might report back to his aunt and uncle, which would make it harder for any landstrider-riding search parties to come looking once his relatives had decided he'd been gone too long. Focusing on picking his way through the woods also helped him to ignore the guilt he felt for leaving them.

Or it would have, if he could actually focus on his feet. Instead, he was fretting over what he would do when he got there. Did he dare reveal his presence to any Gelfling, or should he just sneak around the castle and hope he found what he was looking for all by himself? He was so busy going back and forth over this point in his mind (and trying not to think about his aunt and uncle, or his missing family, or that horrible day when he'd lost said family), that he didn't see a pair of Gelfling legs laying across his path.

He got a very close-up look at the ground after he tripped over them, though.

His healer's training kicked in immediately, and he quickly determined that the legs belonged to a Spriton female with a head injury. He suspected she'd fallen out of the tree towering over them; if so, she was lucky she hadn't broken any limbs as well!

He was debating whether to try to wake her, when he heard a fluttering nearby. A glance revealed an open book on the ground, pages flapping in the breeze. Overcome with curiosity, he picked it up and began reading.

> _I finally have the proof I need_ _–but no one will believe me! I saw skekTek use some horrid device on Gurjin, and now my poor, dear friend seems as lifeless as the Podlings! I tried to show father in a dreamfast, but nothing happened! Could proximity to the device have done something to me, as well? Now I am in hiding, with a Grottan aiding me–the rest of the Gelfling (save for dear Jun) think I have caused something awful to happen to Gurjin and am blaming the Skeksis to cover it up? What am I to do?_

Eyes wide, hands trembling, Keft flipped pages backward, finding entries on the writer's suspicions about the Skeksis and his hunt for evidence. Keft knew whose journal this was, and a look at the first entry confirmed it: the book belonged to Rian, the very same Gelfling his aunt had mentioned just that morning.

Beside him, the Spriton finally stirred. She bolted upright when she spotted Keft, but immediately groaned and grabbed her head.

"Don't be afraid!" he told her.

She glared at him. "Don't flatter yourself. I would never be afraid of a _Woodland_." Her eyes fell on his hand holding the journal. "Hey! Give it back, thief!" She plucked it away from him, tucking it into a pack that was nearby, on the ground.

"I'm not a thief!" he promised, hands raised in surrender. Spritons were always such a touchy lot. (Not that he'd met many.) "I just found it lying beside you, and wondered what it was. I thought maybe it might tell me who you are but I know now that the journal was written by Rian. How did you get it?"

Her eyes narrowed, but she seemed more curious herself than angry. "You know who he is?"

"Yes–but you _don't_? Then how came you by his book?"

"Found it up there," she said, pointing to a hole in the tree. Her eyes widened as she suddenly looked around, panicked. "Oh, no! Where is it?"

"Where's what?"

"Did _you_ take it?"

"Take _what_?" he asked, getting tired of the accusations of him being a thief–especially since she wasn't even the actual owner of the first item!

"My letter!" she said, struggling to her feet and shrugging off his attempt to help. "That's what I was doing up there in the first place–trying to get it back from a thieving skwirra!" She spun about anxiously, then swayed, catching herself against the tree trunk.

"Look, why don't I look for it for you, while you rest?" Keft offered.

She seemed about to disagree, but then apparently thought better of that. "Fine. But if you try to run off with it, you'll learn that even an injured Spriton beats a Woodland at their best!"

Keft rolled his eyes, then began looking for the scroll. Why were Spritons always spoiling for a fight? "My name's Keft," he said as he searched.

After a long moment of silence, he thought maybe Spritons were completely bereft of manners, and he would have to actually prompt her for her own name, when she finally replied, "Ziir."

He spotted another pouch on the ground and picked it up. "Is it in here?" he asked, starting to open it.

She lunged at him, almost sending them both sprawling, if not for his own sure footedness.

"Easy, now!" he chided, handing the pouch to her.

She backed away, stuffing the pouch into her coat.

"What's so important about that letter anyway? Is it from a suitor?" He didn't know why he asked that last.

She looked disgusted. "It's my proof that I was chosen to be the next Spriton guard for the Skeksis, if you must know!" she informed him rather haughtily.

Keft's heart began to race. Between her goal and the journal she'd found, this was no chance meeting! It would surely be a great help to have an ally on his quest. "Well, if you're going to the castle, then I think you might want to have a look at that book you found, first...."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My story concept:  
> -All the clans have noted more and more gelflings going missing. The story starts with Keft finding Rian's journal and journeying to talk to the Queen, and as he stops at a village of each clan, he gains one companions per place.  
> \- Keft. Male Woodland. Matched to urAc the Scribe / skekOk the Scroll-Keeper. Antagonistic with Ziir at first. Has a companion like Wouf, named Riff. Keft's brother is missing -- Keft saw the back of a skeksis, believes he took his brother, but parents won't believe it. Meets and helps Ziira; after learning of the journal, decides to see the queen, see if there are any remnants of messages sent by Rian that his handwriting can be matched with. Is then directed to Aughra, then the Mystics, who have more documents and can prove the journal is Rian's.  
> -Ziir. Female Spriton. Matched to urVa the Archer and skekMal the Hunter. On her way to join the castle guard, finds Rian's journal in a skwirra tree-hole.  
> -Dahran. Male Sifa. Matched to urSan the Swimmer and skekSa the Mariner -- he seeks vengeance against the latter for taking his daughter after attacking his boat -- he was washed overboard during the fight (and saved by urSan?).  
> -Ahta. Male Dousan. Matched to urSol the Chanter and skekSil the Chamberlain. Initially antagonistic to Dahr and friendly to Hild, who "Is the only one closer to stone than I."  
> -Hild. Female Grottan. Matched to urZah the Ritual Guardian and skekZok the Ritual Master. Initially untrusted by and untrusting everyone, but soon warms up to Ahtet.  
> -Aelise. Female Vapra. Matched to urUtt the Weaver and skekEkt the Ornamentalist. Loathes Krokka because he's "ugly". Is the Queen.  
> -Gurjin. Male Drenchen. Matched to urAmaj the Cook / skekAyuk the Gourmand. Is hulking and smart. Thinks Aelise is silly and vain.  
> -Keft and Ziira fight about whether it's more important to celebrate life or respect death -- Aughra says they need to stop talking long enough to listen to each other, and that it's both.  
> -SkekZok the ritual master changes skekNa the slave master so skekNa can infiltratethe Grottans?  
> -Rian. Male Woodland. Guard at the castle of the Skeksis. Discovers the truth about the Skeksis, but subsequently loses the ability to dreamfast, and goes on the run when his people turn on him.  
> -Gurjin. Male Drenchen. Rian's best friend. Rian witnesses Gurjin's essence being drained.  
> -Jul. Female Spriton. A helpful ally to Rian, she might have become his mate if he hadn't had to flee.  
> -Sor. Male Woodland. Rian's father, a gruff and stubborn Gelfling who sics the rest of the guard on his own son.  
> -Gemmy. Female Grottan. She lives in the sewers of the castle and helps Rian escape.  
> -Dahran. Male Sifa. He seeks vengeance against skekSa for taking his daughter after attacking his boat. He was washed overboard while on skekSa's ship and saved by urSan.  
> -Fellie. Female Sifa. Dahran's daughter, who is learning to fly.  
> -Ziir. Female Spriton. On her way to join the castle guard, she finds Rian's journal in a skwirra tree-hole.  
> -Keft. Male Woodland. Antagonistic with Ziir at first. Has a companion like Wouf, named Riff. Keft's brother is missing -- Keft saw his parents and brother abducted by skekMal, but because he can't dreamfast, no one will believe him. Decides to look for proof at the castle; meets Ziir on the way.  
> -Sael. Male Woodland. Keft's uncle, one of the few who believe him about skekMal.  
> -Mally. Female Woodland. Sael's mate, skeptical of Keft, though she does care about him, and worries how he will get on in the world without being able to dreamfast.  
> -Ahtet. Male Dousan. Helps Keft's band reach the Grottans as they search for Rian. Initially antagonistic to Dahran (the feeling is mutual).  
> -Hild. Female Grottan, sister to Gemmy. Quiet. Near-blind outside.  
> -Aelise. Female Vapra. Loathes Krokka because he's "ugly". Is the daughter of the matriarch.  
> -Hrokka. Male Drenchen. Is hulking and smart. Thinks Aelise is silly and vain.  
> -Keft and Ziira fight about whether it's more important to celebrate life or respect death -- Aughra says they need to stop talking long enough to listen to each other, and that it's both.  
> -SkekZok the ritual master changes skekNa the slave master so skekNa can infiltrate the Grottans?


End file.
